Christopher Keene's Blog, page 2
April 17, 2019
A Sequel Makes the Series: Top 12 Best Fantasy Sequels
Harder than writing a good fantasy book is writing a good fantasy series. To achieve this you need to have written a sequel or sequels that either live up to or are better than the original. It’s tricky, too, because either your first book wasn’t the best but was still good enough to justify reading the sequel or your first book was great and you still somehow managed to top it, which is crazy impressive.
With that in mind, here are a dozen sequels to fantasy books that I think are much better than the first in the series, and if you stopped at book one in these series, you should still give the sequel a shot because if you didn’t you’re missing out on what made the series so fantastic. For these first books, no matter what you thought of the first in the series, you should definitely read at least the first sequel:
[image error]Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie (The First Law #2)
The second book in each of Joe Abercrombie’s series is always the best of the series. I can say the same of The Heroes and will give a similar statement for his Shattered Sea series lower down the list but it’s the forming relationships in this book that makes it so great. Logan with Jezal and Ferro, West with the Northmen, it’s all just fantastic.
[image error]The King’s Blood by Daniel Abraham (The Dagger and Coin #2)
The first Dagger and Coin book was an average generic fantasy so it wasn’t a surprise that it didn’t get the attention it deserved, but the political intrigue and maneuvering in the sequel was enough to put Game of Thrones to shame. Plots, coups, and the rise of a new cult and their effect on the characters make them so much more real.
[image error]Liar’s Key by Mark Lawrence (Red Queen’s War #2)
Mark Lawrence has some really good books under his name, but so far this is my favorite of his, and luckily it’s also the second in a series. I did an entire post on why I thought this book was so great. So, besides everything I put in that post, I think this book has something that his Broken Empire trilogy did not, although one of those is also on this list.
[image error]Golden Son by Pierce Brown (Red Rising #2)
Where the first book is more akin to Hunger Games or a space hegemony version of Lord of the Flies, this story is what the setting of Red Rising demanded, light sword fights and strategic space battles. Everything foreshadowed in book one happens in book two, and without the cliffhanger, would’ve left very little for book three.
[image error]Knight’s Shadow by Sebastien de Castell (Greatcoats #2)
The first Greatcoat’s book was a mess. It almost felt like the first third of the book was it’s own story, nearly completely disconnected from the rest of the tale. Book two, however, is one beautiful flowing mystery that expands with each scene and setting until it ends in a beautiful thrilling climax where no character comes out unphased.
[image error]The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time #2)
By far my favorite Wheel of Time book. This is everything I wanted from book one but was withheld for the sake of foreshadowing and a slow character build. Honestly, if the series had ended here, I wouldn’t have minded because everything after this one felt diluted in the need to scrape the rest of the story over so many books.
[image error]Half a World by Joe Abercrombie (The Shattered Sea #2)
Here’s Abercrombie again dominating the second book in his series. For the last five years, if you’d asked me who my favorite female character is, I would say, without hesitation, Thorn Bathu. She’s only a main character in this book and her journey and rise in the world of the Shattered Sea was by far the highlight of the whole series.
[image error]The King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (The Broken Empire #2)
Although clearly the best book in the series, I added this book to the list more from a request than anything else. Where the Prince of Thorns revealed a morally gray character and his adventures in a mess up post-apocalyptic world, The King of Thorns shows his rise as a man to conquer the obstacles his tyrannical father put in his way.
[image error]Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss (Kingkiller Chronicles #2)
Don’t get me wrong, it was close, but Wise Man’s Fear’s world-building with the Ademre and the city of Severen puts it head and shoulders above Name of the Wind. What put this at the bottom of the second-book list is not only that he’s taken forever to get out his new book but because of a good part of the book is STILL missing.
Now reading the first sequel to a book you thought was good or just average is no problem, but what about holding out until the third book in the series? What third book is so good you have to finish two whole books just to get to the best one and it’d still be worth it? Here’s a list of the third books in series that I think justify reading two books just to get to the third installment:
[image error]Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #3)
When I started reading the Dresden Files I thought it was good, but I didn’t understand why I should keep reading the whole series with its fifteen books until I read Grave Peril. In this book the sides are set, the stakes have risen, and the characters are finally at the point where you care about how things turn out for them.
[image error]A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire #3)
Storm of Swords is still George RR Martin’s best work. Not only does it have the best character arcs and conflicts in the series, every scene the show is known for, besides maybe one, happened in this book. This is the peak of epic fantasy, and no matter how long the other books are, it’s worth it to get to book three.
[image error]The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter #3)
This one might be controversial given Harry Potter’s popularity with everyone having one book or another being their favorite, but I feel this was the first book that people could point to and say the first book wasn’t just a one-hit wonder and I would say that this one shows that the story doesn’t have to rely on the villain to be great.
Honorable mentions of sequels that are also great and could easily be argued as being better than the original but IMO are still not as good as the original:
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archive #2)
The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks (Lightbringer Saga #2)
Blade of Tyshal by Matthew Stover (The Acts of Caine #2)
The Desert Spear by Peter V Brett (The Demon Cycle #2)
Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson (Malazan #3)
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King (The Dark Tower #4)
While I’m speaking of series, I have a book in an upcoming fantasy series adapted from a board game franchise. In this case, the fifth book is the best because, of course, I was the one who wrote it. The pre-order for it is up for a limited time so go give it a look for a specialty card and model for the characters:
March 1, 2019
January 30, 2019
Fuck Pro-Life and Pro-Choice advocates, Here’s a Pro-Abortion Monologue
“Of course I don’t want you to have the child. Think about it. Really think about it. It’ll be born into a world where, already, the two most important people in its life, the ones it’s going to rely on the most, are considering killing it before it’s even born. At least if we kill it now, we’re doing so before it gains consciousness, values, and wants, or would you rather it die after it’s gained an overwhelming desire to live? Because that’s how this will inevitably end. How it always ends. By having this kid you’re only giving it a delayed death sentence, one you won’t be around the witness the end of because, in all likelihood, you won’t even be alive long enough to see it. That goes for the majority of the worst parts of its life, you know? Getting old, getting sick, losing friends and loved ones, you won’t be able to support it when you’re in the ground. You might think you’ve got a good hand, that because of our money and the society we live in, heck, even your potential parenting skills, that this gamble will pay off. Then wake up! You’re gambling in the house of misery; the odds are stacked against you and the house always wins. But I know you, all the what-ifs and romantic images of a happy you rearing a happy child floating around in your head. That’s an illusion brought on by hormones and Hollywood, where the truth is that you’re just unleashing another killer, rapist, or potential pedophile into the world. Will you take responsibility for it then? It was your choice to give this thing life. When do you separate its actions from your own?” – character in story
October 24, 2018
August 16, 2018
My Rewrite of Another Author’s 1st Chapter
The trees around me sway as their branches catch in the breeze. Four fat rabbits rest in my hunting sack, its bottom soaked with their blood. As scrounging for food went, it was a successful outing. We wouldn’t go hungry tonight.
I hike through the forest, making my way home, my fist clenched tightly around the neck of the sack. It’s not like wildlife is hard to come by in Sunnan, but if I had been only hunting for myself, it wouldn’t have taken up most of my day.
From the reactions I usually receive upon my return, I get the impression Herinda and Grinden don’t appreciate the effort I put into making sure they have food to eat. They are still used to everything being provided for them by our parents, but they aren’t around anymore.
Emerging from the shadows of the woods, I see our small cabin resting on a wide stretch of grass, the sky turning red by the time I reach the front door. Made from the same dark oak as the rest of the house, my already tired arm hitches as I heave it open. The cabin may have kept us sheltered and warm at night, but considering the two children I had to share it with, it feels more like a prison to me.
They look up as I enter; the pale, needy faces of my siblings. Although Grinden is eight and Herinda is twelve, I can’t imagine that I ever looked so sickly and drawn at their age. As soon as I enter into the cold, silent living room and catch their eyes, they look away and return to playing with their homemade toys on the floor. Play might have been the wrong word. There’s no joy in their expressions, just a sick, desperate desire for any form of escape.
I look at the dying hearth in the room and roll my eyes. “Herinda, I told you not to let the fire go out.”
Herinda’s gaze drifts to the few remaining embers in the ash-filled fireplace, shrugs, and continues fitting her wooden doll into its tiny dress. I grit my teeth, her indifference to my request making anger boil up inside me. Setting my hunting sack on the kitchen table, I stalk over to the wood stack within arm’s reach of her, grab a log, and toss it on. Hot ashes and embers fly up from the hearth, a few landing on Herinda’s forearm. She quickly sits up and brushes them off, grimacing in pain.
“Maybe if you did your job, that wouldn’t have happened,” I growl.
Grinden rises and walks over to the table, trying to see what’s in my sack, but he’s not yet tall enough to reach it. Pride replaces my anger and I idle over to show him my kills. As I pull it down and open it for him to see, he gives no reaction, not even a thank you. He simply spins back to Herinda to continue playing on the floor.
It rankles me but I bite my lip to suppress my agitation and say, “Herinda, get a pot from the kitchen.”
She ignores me, still looking at the red marks on her arm. The burns aren’t that bad. I wait, trying to be patient, but even after a minute passes, she doesn’t move. I ball my hands into fists hard enough that my knuckles turn white.
“Alright, starve then!”
Their heads perk up and I catch their gazes for an instant.
“If you don’t care, then why should I?”
I storm off to my room, slamming the door behind me. I fling myself onto my bed with a huff. When I was in the forest, all I could think about was getting home. Now I wish I had never come back.
Outside, birds chirp out their last mating calls for the day and the sky darkens into night, or at least what passes for night in Sunnan. Even during the late hours, the sun only circles the sky just below the horizon line, hidden but not entirely gone. This is why the region that Sunnan occupies is known as The Golden Lands. As the background noise fades, all I can hear is my deep frustrated breaths against my pillow. That’s until I begin to hear someone sobbing outside my door. I groan and push myself off the bed. Leaving my room, I follow the noise into the living room. Herinda is crying next to the fireplace, a knife in one hand, a dead rabbit on her lap, and blood everywhere.
“What are you doing?”
I rush over to see that not only had she ruined the meat but she had also slit open her left hand. Her wailing rises in volume, as though giving her attention was an incentive to open the floodgates.
“Quiet!” I snap. “You’ve made a mess of everything. Do you know how long it took me to catch these?”
I snatch the rabbit from her lap and stand over her. She holds her bloody hand up at me, tears still welling up in her eyes as though pleading for me to make the pain go away.
“You think that’s bad?” I steal the knife from her and wave it in front of her face. “Maybe I should skin you instead of the rabbit!”
She squeals louder, but I had heard enough. I drop both the rabbit and the knife and return to my room. Striding across to where my old sword leans against the wall, I grip its hilt and close my eyes, trying to calm myself.
With this blade alone, I could leave this place and never look back. Vestan, Austan, Noroan, I could go wherever I wanted. If only I could get rid of them. The grim fantasies of how I might accomplish this soothe me. My breathing calms and my shoulders relax. I still hear Herinda crying but she didn’t matter, none of this did.
Feeling suddenly tired, I return to my bed and manage to drift off.
***
I awaken with a start as a high scream pierces the air, followed by the sound of the front door being smashed open. The sound of the oak splintering makes my stomach tighten with sudden panic. Having just been asleep, my heart rhythm hastens from a trot to a gallop and I prop myself up on my elbows, staring at the shifting light under my closed door.
I hear Herinda cry out. Leaping from my bed, I scramble across the room to grab hold of my sword. I whirl about, lifting it into a guard stance, every inch of me on edge. All I can hear are muffled voices and heavy footsteps that cause the wooden boards beyond my door to groan. They pound across the living room, getting closer, but my legs have turned to ice.
Holding my breath, I hear Herinda and Grinden screaming in unison before they are both cut off. I react out of instinct. Before I know it, I’m out of my room, one hand shoving the door open, the other raising my sword to blindly strike at whatever comes at me. I barely get a chance to register a looming form before I plunge my sword into its gut. It makes a wet, sucking sound and the form chokes, blood running from its mouth.
My adjusted night vision makes out a distorted human shape with charcoal skin and a bestial, rotten-toothed visage. The room is filled with them, several holding weapons, two others working to tie up my brother and sister.
Too hideous to be human despite their superficial similarities, it finally dawns on me what these monsters are: Volcryie, creatures from the Darklands.
Binding their mouths with cloth, they drag Herinda and Grinden toward the broken-in front door. My siblings reach for me, their tears shining in the moonlight. All of the anger and hatred I’d felt toward them shatters inside me, and in its place, I feel a burning desire to save them.
“Get your hands off them!”
I raise my sword and charge in. With the Volcryies’ skin being dark enough to blend in with the shadows, I can’t fully make out their movements. In the heat of my passion, I swing my sword with abandon, and despite my inexperience, land blows on two of them. They fall back with grunts of pain and I scan the room for my next target. None of them are advancing on me, but as my eyes flit one way and then the other, I realize I’m now completely surrounded.
A large hand lands on my shoulder from behind. I’m spun about and a cold blade enters my abdomen, driving deep into my stomach. I gasp and time freezes. Despite the steel being frigid, the pain burns like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I look down, seeing the bloody hilt sticking out of my flesh. It slides out and blood spurts from me like I’m some kind of fountain statue. I fall to my knees, thinking I might be able to get back to my feet, but then the world tilts sideways and I feel my head hitting the floor.
Blood that felt so warm before becomes cold as it puddles beneath me. The Volcryie seem to spin around me in triumph, but in my current state, the whole world appears to be spinning. I try to refocus my vision, searching for my brother and sister. Instead, my eyes alight on one of the Volcryie. His dark hair is long and matted, and from his shoulder hangs a cape that appears as red as blood in the moonlight. The others move to his side like he’s their leader or the captain of their group.
Just as my vision begins to tunnel, I watch as the caped Volcryie turns to the door and the rest follow him out into the night. As silence comes over my empty home, all I can feel is the cold blood soaking into my side. Even that sensation fades and all I have left is darkness.
Endnote: I kept the names and plotline.
Leave a comment if you want to read the original and compare.
August 12, 2018
New Announcement
[image error]Here’s the announcement of a project I’ve been working on with several other authors.
https://ninjadivision.com/info/news/article/super-dungeon-novel-series-by-future-house-publishing
July 21, 2018
Steady…
“General, they’re charging up the hill. Should we shoot?”
“Steady…”
“General, they’re well within firing range.”
“Steady…”
“General, they’re on our toes, sir!”
“Steady!”
“General, we’re being overru—ah!”
“Steady…”
“Necromancer, your army has been slaughtered. Surrender or we will claim your life also.”
“Now.”
July 7, 2018
June 30, 2018
300 Followers!
Another hurtle toward the triple digits has been passed.
Thank you, Maestro, for being my 300th follower!
Posts will follow.
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June 23, 2018
My first Audiobook has been released!
Any audiobook lovers out there, because Gods of the Mountain has been published as one. If this medium is your preference, this easily is the best example of my writing to date.
It hasn’t yet had a single bad review! XD
https://Audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Gods-of-the-Mountain-Audiobook/B07DV1D1SN
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For the reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Gods-of-the-Mountain/dp/B07DTGN465/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
